Page 44 of No Duke of Mine

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Maggie scurried after the duke from one shop to another, eyes wide at the abundance of both necessary and frivolous goods on display for purchase in London. She had struggled to keep up with him at times, as his longer legs ate up the distance easier than hers could.

Every time she found something to admire, he would abruptly decide he’d seen enough, and if the shop offered nothing of interest to her, he lingered there until she was on the verge of leaving without him.

If this was the life of a maid employed in London, she was certainly ill-suited to the position. Algernon had been right all along, and she realized his indifferent, haughty behavior that day was solely to point out the flaw in her plan.

She sighed when they stopped before another establishment and shifted her weight from one aching foot to another as she awaited his decision to enter or not.

There were no markings on the doors, and it seemed shabbier than the other places he’d patronized. But upon entry, she discovered a dressmaker toiled in this shop, and she looked at him in surprise.

However, the duke did not explain his reasons for being here. He immediately sought out the modiste and spoke only to her in so soft a voice, Maggie could not understand what was being said, not as he had done with every other proprietor he’d patronized that day.

The wealth of fabric around Maggie, all beautiful and exotic, claimed her full attention, and she could not resist touching some of the nearest examples on display. She became so engrossed that she didn’t realize she was being spoken to until someone touched her sleeve.

A shop assistant stood at her elbow. Her smile was excited but hesitant. “Do you see something you like?”

“No,” Maggie said quickly, folding her hands at her waist again. She did not want to offer the wrong impression that she could afford anything here. She was supposed to be a lowly servant in service to a demanding duke.

She cast an anxious glance at Algernon and found him watching her with an unreadable expression on his face.

“What about this one?” the woman asked, presenting a bolt of fabric to Maggie for inspection.

The duke raised a brow, and she looked down.

It was a beautiful dark shade of blue silk, shot through with slub yarns that gave it a wonderful texture beneath her fingers. Maggie wanted it immediately for a new gown for herself. But of course, she could never afford it, nor allow the duke to think she might want him to buy it for her.

She shook her head quickly as she spotted a sly twist of the duke’s lips before he turned away, fussing with something on the counter and pushing it toward the modiste.

Maggie glanced at the shop assistant. “It is very beautiful.”

“The duke has approved any purchase of fabric you deem worthy of his sister-in-law as a gift.”

Maggie blinked. “Sister-in-law?”

The assistant frowned at her. “Yes. The woman he’s here to arrange a new winter wardrobe for. Please, something must suit. He has already paid the proprietor.”

Maggie glanced over at the duke as he returned his hat to his head. “I will return in an hour,” he said. “Make the choices. The modiste has the designs and how many gowns are to be made in each style.”

Astonished, Maggie watched him leave the shop, oddly disappointed he was still purchasing presents for his family. But he was trusting her to make sensible choices for a sister-in-law, and that she could easily do.

She chose the dark blue silk and four other fabrics she was shown that would keep a lady warm for the coming winter. They were rather plain but practical, and easy for the modiste to work with.

Dress patterns had already been chosen by the duke, so she was not shown them. And since the duke had suggested she and his sister-in-law were of similar size and height, that meant Maggie’s measurements would be taken, too.

It took a whole hour, and when she was done, she hurried outside, exhausted and wishing to return home. The duke was seated inside his carriage, and he was reading while he waited.

All the gifts he had bought today had been piled up on the rear-facing seat during her absence from the carriage. Maggie hastily climbed inside, resigned to sitting closer to him than was probably wise.

But thanks to her pretense of being a servant, the camaraderie of their first days together was gone, and she desperately missed his warmth.

She turned her eyes from him and stared out at London’s streets, which were alive with activity despite the leaden skies above. Her heart was weary again, and she sighed softly. They passed grand residences similar to the duke’s, green squares, and dozens and dozens of carriages. The people, all going about their own business, hardly noticed the duke’s carriage passing them by.

She sat back after a moment and found the duke watching her, his book closed but still in his hands. “It’s something to experience, isn’t it? London in all its glory.”

She nodded.

“I wanted to be the one to show you around today,” he admitted. “I know you’re considering staying in London.”